MILF

Even so, it would take another decade before the concept had a term of its own. According to The Routledge Dictionary of Modern American Slang and Unconventional English, the acronym originated around 1995 in internet newsgroups. It received its first wide exposure in the 1999 movie American Pie.Porn themed around the word began cropping up shortly thereafter, but Lisa Ann helped it become a boilerplate genre with the political porn spoof Who’s Nailin’ Paylin?. The movie, inspired by Palin’s run for vice president, made Lisa Ann adult entertainment’s most popular star and gave her the signature role of her career. Entire websites and studios are now based on the MILF concept, including Jodi West’s popular Forbidden Fruits Films. It can sometimes be hard to pin down what makes a MILF, or even what age marks entry into the category. Performers in their 20s are often lumped into MILF movies, regardless of whether the actor in question has had children. West herself sees MILFdom as more of an attitude than anything else: “A MILF is maternal, somebody who wants to take care of everything, yet she’s still a sexual being.” The MILF concept gave rise to related genres such as cougar porn, and it has helped define the latter-career period of stars like Julia Ann and Ava Adams.

Some say MILF porn’s popularity is rooted in Sigmund Freud’s notion that men have repressed desires for their own mothers. Others say no such complicated psychology is required. “MILF porn isn’t really about moms per se — it’s about real women who are comfortable and confident with their bodies and sexuality and aren’t afraid to show it,” said Playboy’s Justin Lehmiller in 2014. Whatever the reason, MILF porn continues to capture the public’s imagination as one of Adult Empire’s top trending porn search terms.